A Rugby student who devised an "intelligent" car which could slash incidents of road rage and driver fatigue has won a prestigious design prize.

Phil Woolhead, 22, of Brafield Leys, off Dunchurch Road, jetted to the Frankfurt Motor Show this week after winning the Best Conceptual Interior award at the Interior Motives Student Award.

As part of his degree course, the Coventry University student designed a sensory car interior which would respond to the driver's moods. It won him &#xA3;2,000 and state-of-the-art software.

In his design, sensors monitor the blood pressure and heart rate of the driver. If high levels of stress or anger are detected, automatic triggers set off soothing music, release calming odours, and adjust lights to provide tranquil surroundings.

However, if the driver appears to be falling asleep, the opposite effects take place to keep the atmosphere lively.

The former Lawrence Sheriff student said his design was inspired by an interview with a London architect, who said he felt houses were built to appeal to the eye and ignored other senses.

Phil, who studied transport design at university, said: "I thought, why couldn't that be applied to cars as well.

"I started researching it by looking into accident levels and I realised this could be a really useful design for the car industry"

Phil said his design received a lot of attention at the fair, including interest from major car manufacturers.

"They have asked me to send them some of my work, which is great. It looks really nice on my CV."